I wrestle, my season is from mid November to mid February, I gain tremendous Met-Con capacity but lose considerable amounts of strength. Every year I compete in CrossFit Sectionals, however they are very close after my wrestling season ends. So every year I do strength training all through the year with the occasional once-a-week Met-Con thrown in, and then I wrestle for my Met-Con, then train SS for 2 weeks, and 5/3/1 like program plus Met-Cons for 2 weeks, and compete. It works pretty well, but I would like to keep as much strength as I can this season, however I am aware that I have to be careful with my training In-season to not overtrain, esp. since I want a successful season. My matches are Weds. and Sat. And I have been thinking of lifting on those days, any suggestions on what I should train on those days and what kind of rep scheme, I'm thinking a 2 week rotating 2 lift split of BS/BP then DL OHP, with the second week being Snatch/OHS, and CJ/ Front Squat. Thoughts? Suggestions? Critiques?

I wrestle, my season is from mid November to mid February, I gain tremendous Met-Con capacity but lose considerable amounts of strength. Every year I compete in CrossFit Sectionals, however they are very close after my wrestling season ends. So every year I do strength training all through the year with the occasional once-a-week Met-Con thrown in, and then I wrestle for my Met-Con, then train SS for 2 weeks, and 5/3/1 like program plus Met-Cons for 2 weeks, and compete. It works pretty well, but I would like to keep as much strength as I can this season, however I am aware that I have to be careful with my training In-season to not overtrain, esp. since I want a successful season. My matches are Weds. and Sat. And I have been thinking of lifting on those days, any suggestions on what I should train on those days and what kind of rep scheme, I'm thinking a 2 week rotating 2 lift split of BS/BP then DL OHP, with the second week being Snatch/OHS, and CJ/ Front Squat. Thoughts? Suggestions? Critiques?

Many Thanks,

-Tanner

Tanner, great enthusiasm. the best design for the competitive block, is leave it as a competitive block and only use it as a means to focus on and improve on your specific sport skills, specific competitive fitness, and preparation for competition. other wise specific sport skills + specific sport fitness + high intensity circuit fitness + general strength training + explosive strength training + competition preparation + crossfit preparation = time, energy, and recovery efforts siphoned & taken away from wrestling's specific skills, specific fitness, competition. I wrestled as well so know exactly what its like. I use to compete in oly in the middle of wrestling season, didn't work out well. I'm not sure what intensity the soviets did during a competitive block, I believe it was around 5RM or 3RM (90%-95%, 3 sets, and with a gradual increase from 5RM-3RM over the season with some tapering competition, only twice a week) with 2-3 days inbetween workout/competition or workout/workout or lay off for 10 days before a major competition. however, this was after following a maximal strength block and an explosive strength block in the preparation phase, and a special strengh & speed endurance block in the precompetition phase, so their nervous system, muscles, tendons, liagments, were already prepared with the long term delay training effect. This was also used to maintain the maximal strength training effect developed over preparation phase rather than a push for PR, linear progression. This is something you may want to look into next season. I believe bench rows, bench press, and squat are probably the best specific exercises as well. Depending on your recent training history and your body's ability to adapt to this type of training, you may be able to perform this but do so with only of maintence otherwise you may overload.

It is also to take note, that crossfit, though they make great use of American commercialism and marketing, do not have an educational background in physiology, exercise science, or special sport preparation. Their training methods are not based on evidence based research as done in Russia, nor have their methods been tested to optimally prepare the sportsman, or the physiological and morphological effects on the human body, as they claim to be. So there very well is better & proven methods to prepare sportsman's fitness for wrestling as in following a track and field sprinters' or decathletes' training programme as Georges St Pierre has done as a example

Again, if you want to win state and be a good wrestler, you should wrestle. If your coach has got state champion caliber wrestlers, he likely knows best. Follow his instruct ions. That's really the end of the discussion.

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And if you don't think kettleball squat cleans are difficult, I say, step up to the med-ball

Derek, while my coach is a phenomenal wrestling coach, his experience in weightlifting is somewhat minimal, however I will consult him on his opinions about in-season training.

Andrew, thanks for the input! I'm not planning on goin for ME lifts in season, more of anything that will keep my strength loss to a minimum (5/3/1-esque). As for the crossfit input, I'm on the same page as you. I do not subscribe to CrossFit or CrossFit style programming, as I stated earlier I perform mainly the O-lifts (I compete in O-lifting as well), I work on the Basic Barbell lifts, and I throw in Track Work and the occasional Met-Con. I was introduced to strength training through crossfit when I was 11, also my father is a very knowledgeable coach, he was a gym owner/strength and conditioning coach/crossfit coach, so I never went though any body building half squatting stage. I enjoy some of the CrossFit WODs and I like competing at sectionals, but for even general training I'm not a kool-aid drinker, never have been, never will be. I appreciate the responses.